Larry Sneddon: Kahn Endowed Term Professor

SAS Dean Rebecca W. Bushnell announced that Dr. Larry G. Sneddon has been named the Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Endowed Term Professor of Chemistry in SAS. Dr. Sneddon has been a member of the chemistry faculty at Penn for more than three decades, and during 2002-2005 he served as chair of the department. He is also a longtime member of the Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter.

A leading inorganic and materials chemist, Dr. Sneddon is currently overseeing research on the syntheses and properties of a wide range of molecular, polymeric and solid-state materials. His interdisciplinary research on advanced ceramics has led to the formation of these technologically important materials in previously unattainable nano- and micro-structured forms. Most recently, he is leading a new research program focused on the development of methods for chemical hydrogen storage, a key technology needed to enable the utilization of hydrogen as an alternative energy carrier in transportation applications.

Dr. Sneddon has coauthored nearly 200 publications and 10 patents and has delivered presentations at more than 150 conferences. His work has been published in the leading chemical and materials journals, including the Journal of the American Chemical Society, Inorganic Chemistry, and Chemistry of Materials. In recognition of his contributions to the chemical sciences, he has been awarded the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Award for Senior U.S. Scientists, the Boron in the Americas Award for Distinguished Achievements in Boron Science and a fellowship from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. His academic awards at Penn include a Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching.

Prior to his appointment at Penn, Dr. Sneddon served as a postdoctoral fellow at both the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Virginia. He holds his bachelor’s degree from Centenary College of Louisiana and his doctorate from Indiana University.

The Kahn endowed term chairs were established through a bequest by Mr. and Mrs. Edmund J. Kahn. Mr. Kahn was a 1925 Wharton graduate who had a successful career in the oil and natural gas industry. His wife, a graduate of Smith College, worked for Newsweek and owned an interior design firm. The couple contributed to many programs and projects at the University, including Van Pelt-Dietrich Library, the Modern Languages College House and initiatives in scholarship and the humanities.